Dele Momodu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, has questioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s attitude and conduct in the trial of Yahaya Bello, the immediate past governor of Kogi state.
While acknowledging that the commission had “misfired” in its attempt on Bello, Momodu also recommended the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, to carry out his job “meticulously, professionally, and efficiently as possible.”
Momodu stated these during his Instagram Live programme. He said that in its eagerness to charge Bello, the panel neglected to do due diligence.
When questioned if the EFCC was lying about the former governor, he responded, “I have no idea, I don’t work for EFCC but from all the things that I have read, a lot of them, they misfired. That is the honest truth. They misfired. They didn’t do their due diligence.
“When you said a man took out the money and paid for his children’s school fees, just as he was about to leave power, and you go and check the documents and you see that these things started happening from 2021, 2022 (laughs); I am not an illiterate.
“How do you expect me to believe everything they said when they were too much in a hurry to prosecute him that they did not take their time to check the file? Once you allow a lacuna in law, everything will fall flat. ”
The EFCC charged Bello of offences “in connection with an alleged case of money laundering to the tune of N80.2 billion.”
The embattled former governor was placed on the Nigerian Immigration Service’s watch list, and all police personnel assigned to him were also withdrawn by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Olukoyede said that Bello removed cash from the Kogi State Government account, exchanged it with Bureau De Change operators, and used the monies to pay his children’s school fees in advance before leaving government.
However, Bello’s media office refuted Olukoyede’s assertions, saying, “His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello did not pay the sum of USD720,000 as alleged by the EFCC Chairman or USD840,000 as is being bandied about on the internet.”
Reacting to this, Momodu said, “I mean, I looked at the issue of school fees. Before I read, I was like, how can somebody pay that kind of money? Then, when I read, it was something else I was seeing. They said he paid upfront just before he left the government, and when I checked, that was not what happened. How can you try people before you go and examine the facts?”
Momodu remarked that being an opposition member does not legitimise him as “blinded by hatred” for the former governor, adding that while the nation’s judiciary system is imperfect, yet, the law “must be obeyed.”
Momodu said, “I am not one of those people who will say because I don’t like APC and because I supported Dino Melaye in the last election in Kogi State. Dino is my guy. But, I will not because of that be blinded by hatred for Yahaya Bello and say yes, he should go and surrender himself to EFCC when there is an existing injunction.
“And he is not the only governor who went to court, and if the court has granted him that, so be it. We all know that our judiciary is not so perfect, but you know, even at that law is law, it must be obeyed. If we disobey the rule of law, then we will have to obey the rule of the jungle. So, I never said that they are lying. It is their own statement that shows that they didn’t do their due diligence.”
